Look what Santa Left in Our Stocking!

Sorry this post is so late. Things have been kind of hectic as you can imagine, especially with family in town and the Holidays. Here is our little peanut in all his glory as promised (more pics on the video at the end). He has been such a joy in our lives and Doug and I both love being parents! Here is how it went down:

The day after Christmas, my water broke around 11 p.m. We decided to wait and see if I would start having contractions. With no luck, we ended up checking into the hospital on Saturday the 27 at 11 a.m. I was 70% effaced and dilated to a 1+, which is apparently really good for being so early. Doug and I decided to continue to wait rather than be induced and try to get contractions going on my own. Around 7 p.m. that night, we knew there was no other option but to be induced since I had only dilated another centimeter in the hours we had been at the hospital.

The HypnoBirthing techniques were extremely helpful, but I was so exhausted by the time they induced me, I was worried I wouldn't have what it took when it came time to push. Once I was dilated to 7-8 I decided to get the epidural which only worked on my left side. The anesthesiologist came and gave me another dose to try and catch up with how fast I was dilating, but it still wasn't taking effect on my right side. He pulled out the needle a bit and gave me another full dose. Still nothing. By this time I'm in the transition phase and not very happy. So he pulled out the needle and made a new site and gave me another dose. FOUR FULL DOSES plus the drip! Needless to say my left thigh was numb the entire next day. They called the doctor in when he was crowning. A few pushes later, Dallan joined our little family.

Although three weeks early, he was perfect in every way and had no complications, other than being a little jaundice. He is such a mellow little guy. As long as he is fed, changed and burped, he is so content. In the hospital it just felt like we were playing mom and dad! It was crazy to actually put him in the car seat and take him home with us. We still can't believe sometimes that he is ours!

Down a Birthing Companion

So last week Doug and I started a Hypnobirthing class to get ready for our new arrival. But alas, the second session is here and Doug is not. He's apparently too busy protecting and serving in Malaysia to be able to make it (that slacker.) So I'm down a birthing companion to say the least.

So if any of you feel so inclined to see what Hypnobirthing is all about, please do let me know. Don't worry, you won't have to hold my hand through any breathing exercises and such...unless you want to. The catch is, it's tonight (Wednesday) from 7-9:30. I thought I might have a sub but it fell through.

I'm not going to lie to you, the teacher is a little "different" but the concepts are sound!

He's Gonna Be a Big 'Un!

On Saturday, Doug and I are gonna be eight weeks-and anxiously counting-to greeting our little goober. He finally decided to pop out and say 'hey world!' Don't worry, not like Freddy Baby. Let's just say tying my running shoes is getting pre-tty tough (not to mention the running) and I'm seriously considering getting one of those long levers to help me pick up stuff I drop. Doug and I have bets on whether my cooker (aka bellybutton) is gonna pop or not. It's getting there. If I flex my abs it pops out, so I think I'll call a victory.

Here he is in all his glory.

My favorite is when the little kids at church or the store say "Mommy, she has a baby in her tummy!" I find myself proudly sticking him out as far as I can manage and patting him lightly. That'll do Dallan, that'll do.

Holy Crapola....

It's been awhile since I posted eh? Let's see, Halloween, our 2008 Convention, the Election and the beginning of my third trimester have come and gone...so much great content to work with! Alas, how time flies! I will try to do better. I promise.

I can't lay to rest Halloween though until I have properly given kudos to those at XanGo that went above and beyond. (We have the BEST freakin costumes ever there.) Observe:

Umm...homemade. Song and dance included. Emily, you are da bomb!

The Geico Caveman...ingenious! He looked just like him.

Haha! People in public didn't know if they were for real or not. Erin, you are da bomb!

Barbie herself, complete with a blow dryer and brush. In mint condition.

Homemade again...and ah-maz-ing. 8-9 feet tall.

Umm...Awesome...Tailor Maid does awesome Halloween makeup apparently.

And last, but definitely not least, Freddy Baby. I'm pretty proud of this one I must say. It was too much fun. Plus I got $100 bucks for it! Yeah, I went there.

Quirk Tag

I have been tagged by Kelsey.
Rules:

Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog

Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs

letting them know they have been tagged.

Quirk #1
Eating on Trays
I cannot eat on a food tray. It makes my eating area seem cluttered and makes me feel claustrophobic. Don't ask me why. This also applies to others near me eating on trays. I've had to learn throughout the years to control the urge to just grab their trays. Now I try to politely ask if I can remove it for them. If they decline, I just have to deal with it.

Quirk #2
Plaque on my Teeth
Ugh! This totally grosses me out. I cannot handle it. I got in a bad habit in my late teens of scratching it off my teeth, which I realize is just as gross as having it in the first place...but I cannot stand the feeling. I've been trying to break that habit by making sure I always have a toothbrush handy. I'm much better now than I was. But if you catch me picking at my teeth, don't be surprised.

Quirk #3
A Car Behind me for too Long
I'm not naturally a paranoid person. But if I notice a car behind me that has been taking all the same turns as me for too long, I start squirming. My imagination goes wild. More than a few times, I've wandered through the neighborhood till I was sure they weren't "following me" anymore before pulling into my driveway.

Quirk #4
Spongebob Squarepants
I've gotten into a bad habit of not being able to fall asleep without Spongebob on. I really need to break this one. It may help me fall asleep, but I'm sure it doesn't help with my current sleep deprivation. I'm sure that the little goober is going to come out knowing the theme song. Seriously.

Quirk #5
The Smell of Spit
The smell of spit is completely nauseating. Just thinking about it makes me sick. This was a pre-pregnancy problem too, so that's not it. I have my lovely brothers to blame for this quirk. One in particular. Don't ask...

Quirk #6
Candle Smoke
Candles smell so good, until you go to blow them out. Then all I can smell is smoke. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the candle? You can put the lid on and let it die out, but then you have this nasty looking candle. I have to blow them out outside.

Tell me that you still love me....

A Bit Sleep Deprived

Between my several nightly trips to the bathroom, constant adjusting all night, waking up to blow my nose because I can't breathe and moments of extreme thirst that I have to quench (although they will no doubt lead to another trip to the bathroom), I'm feeling a bit sleep deprived.

And it's showing.

Seems like unwanted dark under eye circles have become a constant companion, and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. It's really detracting from my "pregnancy glow". Anyone have suggestions for an under eye cream/makeup/concealer/technique/trick to help clad the evidence of restless night after restless night?

Take...

...one zuchinni from garden and put it in a gallon freezer bag.

Take one crookneck squash from garden and tuck it into bag snugly with zuchinni.

Throw in a couple of ripe, juicy, garden tomatoes

and

add a small bag of freshly cut basil and rosemary.

Seal and deliver with love.

VOILA!

August Visting Teaching is done.

I know, kind of a cop-out, but the secret ingredient that tied it all together was love.

I get an A for effort at least right?

Like Mana From Heaven

K. We have the BEST neighbors ever. The funnest little family known as the Granges: Cory, his wife Candy, and their daughter of three, Cadence.

They truly are like mana from heaven. Observe.

When I need my hair done, Candy is happy to assist and does a fabulous job. Seriously, when it's actually styled and my color isn't grown out 3 inches, it looks great. She invites me over for dinner when Doug goes out of town and we swap food from our gardens. She is pregnant too so we get to be excited together. Plus, her name is Candy. How could she be anything but sweet?

Cadence is there to give me hugs and is good for many a laugh. We like to babysit her when we get the chance. And she likes cats. Just.Like.Me.

Cory is a diamond in the rough. He acts tough and mean, but deep down, he is just a prankster with a heart of gold. He likes to hide our trash can (Doug has a fear of someone stealing our trash can, don't ask me why) and likes to yell at me like a good neighbor should. We catch him from time to time doing things such as killing our weeds, snowblowing our driveway (Doug is NEVER in a rush to do either of these) and numerous other neighborly deeds that he likes to brush off as nothing. Not to mention he is GREAT with cars and has saved us from so many headaches we'll never be able to pay him back for his service. One day though, they'll get what's coming to them.

Can any of your neighbors top that? Didn't think so. And if you think they can, I could keep on going.

They are moving this fall/winter to Colorado. Boo. I'm protesting. What would we do without the Granges? My protesting up to this point has done no good though, so if you know of any really good neighbors that are looking to move, send 'em out our way. They will never replace the Granges, but they might lessen the pain just a bit.

My Two Cents

*Warning: If you have not read Breaking Dawn yet, read on at your own risk. I might give some things away, but I'll try to be obscure.

After hearing all the reviews on this book, I reluctantly picked it up off my nightstand about a week ago to find out for myself. (I couldn't just NOT read it!) I finished last night, and I don't know if it is because I went in with really low expectations or what, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. Here are a few things I appreciated about Breaking Dawn:

• Bella can actually think somewhat logically! Who would have thought the day would come? She was almost more than I could handle in some of the earlier books. In the second and third, I wanted to reach into the page, grab her shoulders and tell her to get a grip! Instead I settled for tossing it across the room to pick up later once I could stomach her again.
• The drama was kicked down a couple of notches on this one. I love action...but not the high- school drama. (I know, it's a young adult series, but it was still refreshing)
  
• I thought Stephanie did a fairly good job of tying up the loose ends. Things that used to bother me finally made sense, such as Bella's strange obsession with Jake even though she has Edward.
  

A couple of things I didn't like:

• Yeah, the storyline is pretty much worn out.
• Everything just fell into place a little too well. So everybody just walks away friends? And what's with her Dad just so blindly accepting this all? Ummm...no. Nothing ever works out that perfectly. Not even for vampires. Sorry.
  

It's a Boy!

There is no mistaking on this one! Our little boy was more than happy to show off what he's got. Made us so proud! He was just rollin' around and havin' a good ol' time as we stared on adoringly. They were even able to catch him in the middle of a yawn on one of the pictures.

Doug was actually in town for this appointment so this was his first time to hear the heartbeat as well. Very special. They said everything looks normal and that so far he's a perfect little boy! *Warm Fuzzies*

In the slideshow there's a pic of him showin' off his shtuff, a pic of him yawning and then a few different angles as well for a closer look. I had to include a couple pics of Doug from back in the day. Now you know what we're in for...such a cute little goober!

So there I am, lying there with goo on my belly watchin' my little goober wriggle around when I had an epiphany. A name. It just came to me out of nowhere and felt oh- so-perfect. Now it's just convincing Doug. Wish me luck.

For Netflix!

With the recent incident at Netflix, I really had to sit back and ask myself what I would do if Netflix was no more. Movie rental stores are now unacceptable in my eyes. There's no going back. So, in order to support Netflix through this trial, I want to publicly announce my loyalty.

Now, I know it has its flaws, but how much easier can DVD rentals possibly get? You go online, you choose your movies and you wait patiently for them to appear in your mailbox. You take out a movie and put it in the machine...and when the fun is over, you simply return it (no postage necessary and no due date.) Magic. Simple. I barely even have to lift a finger. The selection is fantastic too. I don't know if there has been a movie I have wanted to watch thus far that they haven't had available. Not to mention their free online viewing system, flat rate and system to stay connected to family and friends (which if you are also a loyal member, send me your login so we can stay connected.) I could go on, but I won't. I think I've made my point.

What about you? What's your preferred method of renting movies?

Five Months Down!

Woot! Today is the five month gestation mark for Baby Robbins. We're so proud! One of these days it'll really start looking like there's something going on down there. I've been out of the tired stage for about two weeks now and am running and feel as great as ever. So far, I've been pretty lucky with my pregnancy. I can eat whatever I want (my favorite is Thai at the moment) , haven't been sick, don't get bothered by smells or foods and my emotions are even-keel. If the little one is as easy outside of the womb as it has been so far inside, this will be a breeze. (Don't worry, I'm not counting on it.)

But I'm really excited for the next couple of weeks: Next Thursday, Baby Robbin's will be exposed in all its glory. If it cooperates, we'll get to find out if it's a boy or a girl. I'll be happy to not have to call it an 'it' anymore. Of course I have my ideas of whether we'll have a mini-me or a mini-Doug running around. We'll just have to wait and see though!

And in two weeks is my halfway mark! I'm.So.Happy! Waiting isn't one of my strongest points and I wish there was a way I could coax the little one into developing faster, but it's just one of those things you can't rush apparently...pity. I have a feeling that January will be upon us though before we know it and I'll wonder where the time went and how I accomplished so little on my 'to do' list before the new arrival. Such is life.

It's A Good Start

Welp, it's finally up! I figured it was about time with the 'bebe' on the way and all so you can see the pics and hear the stories which I promise to have plenty of both.

I've pretty much always been a fighter of fads, or things I initiatlly think will be fads. Many times my efforts are in vain though. I end up jumping off the cliff with everyone else. It's just a matter of how long I can hold out. It's the stubborness in me. The way I look at it though, is waiting so long to jump makes for a much softer landing at the bottom.

So, many thanks to those who broke my fall on this one. It was a nice soft landing, and I think I'm going to like it alot down here. I know at least the company is good.